Join The Bone Marrow Registry

Join the Bone Marrow Registry

There are dozens and dozens of diseases now treatable and curable with bone marrow transplantation. All of these patients will need a bone marrow donor, and while a sibling match is the best match for patients in need, only 30 % will have that match. Most patients, 70%, will need an unrelated donor match to save their life, so the more potential donors that sit on the national registry, the better. Each one of us have the potential to save a life in this way, and donation is very different than how we often see portrayed in the media.

While the odds of matching a patient are slim to none, by placing yourself on the national registry, you now have the potential of actually getting the call that you can save a life in the manner. If you do get called, you are potentially the ONLY person in the world that can save that patient’s life!

If you are called to donate, you will be asked to donate via Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) collection or Bone Marrow Donation. The patient’s doctor chooses the method that promises the best outcome for the patient, that’s why we ask that all registrants be comfortable moving forward with either method.

Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) Donation

This is the donation method used in 75% of cases. PBSC donation is a non-surgical, outpatient procedure that collects blood stem cells via the bloodstream. During the procedure, your blood is drawn through one arm and passed through a machine that filters out the blood stem cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through your other arm. To increase your blood stem cells prior to donation, you will receive daily injections of a synthetic protein called filgrastim on the four days leading up to and on the morning of the procedure. The actual donation can take from 4-8 hours over the course of 1-2 days.

Bone Marrow Donation

This is the donation method used in about 25% of cases, generally when the patient is a child. It is a 1-2 hour surgical procedure performed under anesthesia, so no pain is experienced during the donation. Marrow cells are collected from the back of your hip bone using a syringe.

Our relationship with Delete Blood Cancer and Be The Match:

The Be The Match Registry® is the national bone marrow donor registry in the United States, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP.) Delete Blood Cancer DKMS is a bone marrow donor center officially affiliated with the NMDP, so every person we register is listed on the Be The Match Registry®. BAHBAD works directly with Delete Blood Cancer to recruit quality donors, and are proud to announce over 2 dozen lives have been saved due to our recruitment efforts.

Please select “Be A Hero Become A Donor” from the pulldown menu when asked how you heard about the registry.

Once you have submitted the online form, you will receive a “Lifesaver Kit” in the mail to swab your cheeks. Simply follow the instructions to prepare the swab kit and drop it back in the mail in the pre-paid envelope…with two painless cheek swabs you will be added to the Bone Marrow Registry!

Our mission is to empower, educate and provide opportunities for people to “recycle their bodies” through bone marrow, blood, organ/tissue, and cord blood donation. Because lifesaving is everyone’s business!